E-mail, Feeds, 'n' Stuff

Monday, November 5, 2012

Last 'dog is for the birds

The Eagles did not fly on Monday -- they looked terrible -- and so the two players who picked them in our charity pro football underdog game got nada for their efforts. The standings remain as they were last night.

A knowledgable friend of ours points out that there are some really weak teams in the NFL this year -- teams that could be beaten by good college teams. The Eagles who showed up tonight would definitely have their hands full with the Ducks, for example.

Comments (8)

I agree that there are about a half-dozen really terrible NFL teams this year. I disagree that Alabama or Oregon could defeat them. Simple math: if 8 players on Alabama make the pros (even as role players), it's a whole lot. They'd be knocked all over the field. Even by Jacksonville.

Yes, the Eagles sucked, but I heard Issac and Zuke talking about the myth of an NFL team being so bad that college teams could beat them. They said an oddsmaker they know had approached Vegas asking what the spread would be between this year's Alabama team and the weakest NFL team and it was 24 points.
It's a fun thing to say but as far as knowledgeable? Not so much.
Zuke amplified the point by saying he was very good as a college player at BYU - one of the best at his position in the country - but he realized right away that NFL players were way better because he got killed in the pros.
He also pointed out how many future NFL players were on any given college team is a relatively low number when compared to 22 NFL starters, and a whole cast of NFL backups.
So a college team beating an NFL team? Not even close.

I love the Ducks but if they ran that offense in the pros the quarterback would leave on a stretcher. It exposes the QB to too many hits. Ask Dennis Dixon how that goes.

The quarterback from the Ducks' team that played in the championship game didn't even get drafted into the NFL, and it sounds like LaMichael James - the Ducks big star last year - is only on the scout team with the 49ers. Their star linebacker Casey Matthews - Clay's brother - couldn't even make it last year as an Eagles starter and got benched.

De'Anthony Thomas? I love him as a college player, but there are going to be people in the pros who can get big hits on him. He's 5'10" and small. They're 6'8" fast and thick. I worry about him already - what's going to happen when one of the big pros gets a hit on him?

Not to takeaway from the fact that the Ducks have been studied by the pros and have even had an impact on how the Patriots call plays.

It's a numbers game: Running backs have a short NFL life but there are a collection of pros on every team who represent many years of the best college players. Look at Tony Gonzalez of the Atlanta Falcons. He's better than 16 years of the 100s of college tight ends who could have replaced him.

You're going to put NFL veterans who represent the best of their decade, up against one of hundreds of colleges and who they've managed to get for 3 or 4 years? The math isn't there.

The talent has to be much more concentrated in the NFL. So what you get is a lot more speed from the supporting cast. Size and speed that colleges just don't have.

The pundits would say what happened to the Eagles is that their offensive line is decimated. Right before the game, Trent Dilfer said that it's the worst in the NFL. They can't protect Vick, because, right now, they couldn't block a chorus line from a Broadway play.

But that's really just part of the story.

When Andy Reid's son OD'd in training camp it changed Andy's demeanor completely. He is no longer the fun-loving Chris Farley type. He's coaching hurt. The team reflects that.

I'm a long time Eagles fan, and I'm willing to place the blame for that decision squarely on the person most responsible: My sister.
When I was in boarding school she attended the University of Pennsylvania and I would visit her there. One weekend, I said to myself, "Hey, I'm from out of the country. Why don't I adopt the Philadelphia teams as my hometown teams?" That's how it started.

Overall, it has been well worth it: 1983 with Doctor J. of the 76ers, and the many great seasons with the Eagles. Usually win or lose, I feel like they delivered enough. I never really got into the Phillies; the 76ers have since been taken over by the Blazers in my affections. I do admit that when the Blazers won it all, I bet against them. I was a 76ers fan.

The worst Eagles moment for me was when they lost in the Super Bowl to the video-cheaters, the New England Patriots. Since they were caught and sanctioned, the Patriots have not won another Super Bowl. That's the football gods speaking.

On a personal level, the game was tough because my Mom died the Friday before the Super Bowl, so I barely could bring myself to watch it.

As far as the future, I'm all in, but changes have to be made. It's time. To think this all started because my sister went to Penn, and didn't even stay the full 4 years. She went onto Trinity and graduate work at John Hopkins. If only she had decided to go to the University of Pittsburgh, my life would have been completely different, although watching Pitt lose to Notre Dame this weekend would have killed me anyway.

The important thing is the Ducks hopped Notre Dame in the BCS standings so all is good. In fact, there are probably 4 or 5 NFL teams the Ducks could beat right now. Who can handle that speed for 4 quarters?

Road Work

Miles run year to date: 155
At this date last year: 241
Total run in 2015: 271
In 2014: 401
In 2013: 257
In 2012: 129
In 2011: 113
In 2010: 125
In 2009: 67
In 2008: 28
In 2007: 113
In 2006: 100
In 2005: 149
In 2004: 204
In 2003: 269